Interim Results

DawMed Systems PLC 23 June 2004 23 June 2004 DawMed Systems plc Interim Results DawMed Systems plc ('DawMed'), the medical devices company which designs, manufactures, sells and services washer disinfectors used by NHS Trust hospitals, private hospitals and clinics, today announces results for the half year ended 31 March 2004. Highlights (Six months to 31 March 2004) • Turnover increased by 3.4% to £2,253,100 (2003: £2,179,700) • Gross profit increased by 16% to £812,700 (2003: £703,600) • Cash at bank and in hand at £243,700 (2003: £0) • Sales of the Wassenburg flexible endoscope washer disinfectors saw another half year of strong growth, with further growth anticipated in the second half year and also in full year 2005. • Support and Services Department successfully increased revenues and margins, which the Directors believe will continue for the foreseeable future. • 'Clinic' bench top washer disinfector dryer for the Primary Care market now in production with procurement agency and end user interest increasing alongside increasing direct and indirect sales orders. • Directors' confidence in the sales potential of the 'Clinic', which extends beyond the UK market across the whole of Europe and, in due course, worldwide, remains strong. Kevin Gilmore, Chairman of DawMed, said: 'Despite delays in production and launching the sales of the 'Clinic' bench top WDD, we have increased turnover, albeit marginally, and have significantly improved the overall gross margin. The Company's investment strategy is beginning to bear fruit. The Company intends to concentrate upon the exploitation of the products and services of its past investment programmes to take the Company forward to profitability, growth and value.' For further information please visit DawMed's website at www.dawmed.com or please contact: Kevin Gilmore Roland Cornish Chairman Chairman DawMed Systems plc Beaumont Cornish Ltd 01709 730 730 Tel: 020 7628 3396 Chairman's Statement for the six month period to 31st March 2004. Results The first half of the current trading year has seen modest growth in overall sales of 3.4% to £2.25 million, compared to £2.18 million for the same period last year, and a substantial improvement in the gross margin of almost 4%. Sales of the Wassenburg flexible endoscope washer disinfectors saw another half year of strong growth and the customer training and service departments successfully increased profitable revenue streams. The traditional business of large washer disinfector dryer ('WDD') machines for hospital Sterile Service Departments ('SSDs') declined by 39.4% compared with the corresponding period last year. This was due to the vacuum created by completion of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's two-year emergency programme to upgrade the worst of the English Trust hospitals' SSDs in respect of their decontamination equipment for reusable surgical instruments. Overhead costs in the period increased by 11.7% over the same period last year, predominantly on the Support and Service Department, new customer training initiative and the new 'Clinic' machine, particularly to bring the latter into production and to promote and exhibit it nationally and internationally. The net loss for the half year was £0.21 million, equal to the loss in the same period last year and in line with the Board's expectations. Balance Sheet Shareholders' funds at 31st March 2004 were £1.04 million after inclusion of the proceeds of a new ordinary share issue of £0.54 million, before expenses, made on December 12th 2003 to new institutional investors. This issue was made primarily to provide ongoing marketing and structural support for the new ' Clinic' bench top machine, but also to provide additional working capital. The net current assets position at the half-year showed a marked improvement compared with the same period last year and also with the position at the end of the previous financial year. Products, Services and Infrastructure The Wassenburg flexible endoscope washer disinfector continues to perform strongly and the Directors believe that the Company's investment and sales performance has established it as the market leader in this sector. Favourable currency movements against the Euro have also improved contributions from this product. The planned investment to strengthen the marketing and sales of the new 'Clinic' bench top WDD, designed specifically for the Primary Care markets, is beginning to capture the demand for the product in the NHS and private practice sectors in the UK. Procurement agency and end user interest in this product is increasing and the 'Clinic' has been approved by Scottish Healthcare Supplies for use in Primary Care in Scotland. Similar approval by the NHS is anticipated for use of the 'Clinic' in Primary Care in England. Our established distributor network is now actively involved with our in-house dedicated marketing and sales team in promoting the 'Clinic' with the benefit of production machines now being available. Direct and indirect sales orders are increasing and have already established a secure platform for future volume sales of this exciting product, the sales potential of which extends beyond the UK market across the whole of Europe and, in due course, worldwide. Our confidence in the sales potential of the 'Clinic' remains strong. Whilst the completion of the NHS emergency programme to upgrade the worst SSDs (in respect of decontamination equipment in English Secondary Care NHS Trust hospitals) and the resultant vacuum in this traditional area of the Company's business has caused a temporary diminution in our SSD equipment sales, and is not currently showing any significant growth prospects over historic levels, a number of other initiatives in this traditional SSD business are being vigorously pursued to maximise our options and potential. However, I hope that shareholders will be pleased to learn that at a recent meeting convened by the British Healthcare Trade Association, the NHS representatives confirmed that central funding will be available to English NHS Hospital Trusts to ensure that non-compliant SSDs may upgrade their decontamination equipment by application through the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and that all such hospitals must continue to comply with National Care Standards which cover decontamination of reusable surgical instruments. The Company's in-house Support and Service Department has benefited from the previous year's investment in additional service engineers, a customer trainer and additional IT systems and has delivered substantial improvements in revenues and margins which the Directors believe will continue for the foreseeable future. Remainder of the Year and Future Prospects Despite considerable challenges in the first half of our current financial year, notably the disruption caused by the vacuum in the SSD market place described earlier and also the delays in 'productionising' and launching the sales of the 'Clinic' bench top WDD, we have increased turnover, albeit marginally, and significantly improved the overall gross margin. The strategy of your Company, which was set out some three and a half years ago, was a commitment to invest, heavily for a company of our size, for a period of some three years in order to: (i) upgrade its existing range of traditional SSD equipment to the state-of-the-art now achieved and explore alternative initiatives for its exploitation, (ii) start up and develop the flexible endoscope market in the UK with the carefully researched Wassenburg machine to become the market leader, a position it now claims to have achieved, and (iii) diversify from, and reduce the level of our dependence upon the traditional SSD business with the NHS, whose policies and funding within Secondary Care have become unpredictable. The Directors believe that, whilst the Company has suffered unprecedented delays almost entirely due to external influences beyond its control, the strategic objectives are now being met. Accordingly, the conversion of our investments into growth and associated profitability is already underway and we look forward with confidence to: (i) the flexible endoscope WDD business performing satisfactorily in the second half to produce a satisfactory end of year performance for this product as well as this market sector providing further growth potential for 2005, (ii) the sales launch and line production of the new 'Clinic' bench top WDD delivering significant and profitable performance in 2005, (iii) the alternative initiatives in the Company's traditional SSD sector improving the growth prospects, (iv) the continued growth of revenues and margins by the Support and Service Department. In summary, your Company's investment strategy is beginning to bear fruit and perhaps the most important component of it, viz. the lessening of our hitherto dependence upon the NHS by targeting other markets, including exports, is no longer just an intention, but a fact of our corporate life. Moreover, unless an external opportunity too good to refuse arises in the foreseeable future, the Company intends to concentrate upon the exploitation of the products and services of its past investment programmes to take the Company forward to profitability, growth and enhanced value. Kevin M Gilmore Chairman 23 June 2004 Unaudited Consolidated profit and loss account for the half year ended 31 March 2004 Unaudited Unaudited 31 March 2004 31 March 2003 £'000 £'000 Turnover 2,253.1 2,179.7 Cost of sales 1,440.4 1,476.1 Gross Profit 812.7 703.6 Administrative expenses 1,013.2 906.9 Operating (loss) (200.5) (203.3) Interest receivable 3.2 1.8 Interest payable 12.2 10.5 (Loss) on ordinary activities (209.5) (212.0) Taxation - - (Loss) for the half year (209.5) (212.0) (Loss) per share (1.20p) (1.39p) Diluted (loss) per share (1.19p) (1.38p) Unaudited Group Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2004 Unaudited Unaudited 31 March 2004 31 March 2003 £'000 £'000 Fixed Assets 673.2 583.1 Current Assets Stock 548.0 583.3 Debtors 1,544.1 1,089.8 Cash at bank and in hand 243.7 - 2,335.8 1,673.1 Creditors: amount falling due within one year 1,816.1 1,504.1 Net current assets 519.7 169.0 Total assets less current liabilities 1,192.9 702.1 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one 154.8 71.5 year Net assets 1,038.1 630.6 ________________________________________________________________________ Capital and reserves Called up share capital 923.2 763.2 Share premium account 1,709.7 1,171.7 Merger reserve (350.5) (350.5) Profit and loss account (1,244.3) (953.8) Shareholders' funds 1,038.1 630.6 Notes to the accounts: (1) The calculation of loss per share is based upon the loss of £209,500 (2003: loss of £212,000) and on 17,519,030 shares (2003: 15,252,301 shares), being the weighted average number of shares in issue during the period. The diluted loss per share shows the effect on the calculation as if the share options and warrants granted had been converted to shares. The diluted loss per share for the six months to 31 March 2003 has been revised from previously reported. (2) Copies of the interim report and accounts will be available in 30 days at the offices of Beaumont Cornish Limited, 63 Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5BB Independent Review Report by the Auditors to DawMed Systems plc Six months ended 31 March 2004 Introduction We have been instructed by the company, to review the consolidated profit and loss account for the six months to 31 March 2004 and the Group Balance Sheet at 31 March 2004 and have read the other information contained in the interim report and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the financial information. This report, including the conclusion, has been prepared for and only for the company for the purpose of their interim report and for no other purpose. We do not, therefore in producing this report, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing. Directors' responsibilities The interim report, including the financial information contained therein, is the responsibility of, and has been approved by the directors. It is best practice that the accounting policies and presentation applied to the interim figures should be consistent with those applied in preparing the preceding annual accounts except where any changes, and the reasons for them, are disclosed. Review work performed We conducted our review in accordance with guidance contained in Bulletin 1999/4 issued by the Auditing Practices Board. A review consists principally of making enquiries of management and applying analytical procedures to the financial information and underlying financial data and based thereon, assessing whether the accounting policies and presentation have been consistently applied unless otherwise disclosed. A review excludes audit procedures such as tests of controls and verification of assets, liabilities and transactions. It is substantially less in scope than an audit performed in accordance with Auditing Standards and therefore provides a lower level of assurance than an audit. Accordingly we do not express any audit opinion on the financial information. Review conclusion On the basis of our review, which does not constitute an audit, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the financial information as presented for the six months ended 31 March 2004. Baker Tilly Chartered Accountants Birmingham 23 June 2004 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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